If it’s May, it’s time for General Hospital to feature its infamous Nurses Ball, and this year is no exception as the black-tie event returns to Port Charles, airing Friday, May 17 through Wednesday, May 22.

This year is a big anniversary with the Nurses Ball, which was founded to raise money for HIV/AIDS awareness and research by Lucy Coe (Lynn Herring), celebrating its 25th year, so all the stops are being pulled out when it comes to the stunning red-carpet fashion and the entertainment.

Most of the details are being kept under wraps, but there is a good chance that James Patrick Stuart (Valentin Cassadine), who entertained with “Book of Love” last year, will once again take the stage.

Stuart is hoping to perform an original song this year. The son of Chad Stuart, half of the ’60s English duo Chad & Jeremy, has been working on an album to be released possibly later this year.

“I have one song that I have pitched to [executive producer] Frank [Valentini] and he seems to like it,” Stuart told Parade.com in an exclusive interview. “I do know that he liked it a lot and if he doesn’t find something better, I think I have a pretty good shot. I’m pretty happy with that.”

What I like about Valentin Cassadine is he was a twirling mustache. He was supposed to be there for a blip, killing Nikolas and moving on, and very rapidly, [writer] Jean Passanante threw out so many different levels to him that, overnight, they realized that they could keep him.

Also, his vulnerability. I find it interesting that he was wounded early on in his life and didn’t heal properly, so even if he has things that you and I would think were relatively normal, he doesn’t interact with them the same way.

For instance, love. Obviously, for him, love is more possession. He feels big feelings and will do what he can to protect himself. I find him fascinating. Those levels are all out there for everyone to see.

I find his deep love for Nina [Michelle Stafford] and his complete inability to maintain it fascinating and tragic, whereas most people look at it and they go, “Oh, that guy is evil. He’s a bad guy. He’s doing bad things to Nina.” It’s easy for me to look at it and just go, “This is a tragic story of a man who just can’t keep love together and hurts everybody in the process.”

Does it ever get frustrating for you as an actor that this is a man who doesn’t learn from his mistakes? How do you justify his actions in your head?

In terms of justifying the actions in his head, he does the best he can with what he’s got. His skill set has always served him. It doesn’t serve him terribly well in the game of love, but he’s using the tools that he has.

In terms of getting frustrated, pragmatically, it’s a soap opera, so there is no resolution. This is not an industry that sustains itself on resolving issues, so you know that going in. Second, I find maybe I’m weird that way, but I find the conflict more fascinating. I find the trying to fix it and failing heartbreaking, but at the same time, really interesting to watch. That doesn’t mean that there aren’t times that I open the script and go, “Ah, shoot. I was really enjoying the way things were going. Why do we have to muck it up?” But that’s the name of the game and you know that going in.

James Patrick Stuart, Wes Ramsey, and Emme Rylan (ABC/Michael Yada)

You’re the only Cassadine family member these days aside from young Charlotte and Spencer. Would you welcome an expansion of the family?

I would like to have as many Cassadines as possible, even if it meant all the other families had to leave.

You play this bad guy with a great air of sophistication. Do you think that’s what allows him to get away with as much as he does?

Yes. It’s one of the tools in his box. It’s not the only tool, but he’s figured out early on how to play that particular instrument to increase the odds of achieving whatever he needs. He’s certainly aware of whatever vibe he’s putting across. It’s not inadvertent by any stretch of the imagination.

But he also has fun. I think he’s amused by it. I think at this point, things have gone his way in so many ways, I think he’s easily amused. Even if things go wrong, sometimes he finds that those bad guys are the most fun, the guys who toy with you on the way down.

Did you envision the role lasting as long as it has when you first started?

I didn’t envision sticking around when I was invited. I believe it was initially 10 episodes. I had a feeling that I was going to be whacking somebody, but I didn’t know who and it turned out to be Nikolas. Then I was being beaten up by Jason [Steve Burton] and Sonny [Maurice Benard] for messing with Spencer [Nicolas Bechtel] and I was being hauled off to jail, but before we shot that scene, Frank pulled me off to the side and said, “Here, this is Michelle Stafford. You’re going to do a love scene with her next week.” I looked at Michelle and I hadn’t even been introduced yet and she looked at me and she winked and she goes, “You’re welcome,” and I knew immediately that we would be kindred spirits.

She obviously liked what she saw.

Yeah. She’s adorable. She’s funny. I don’t see a lot of world-class, beautiful women who are also hysterically funny. Those are very, very rare. She’s a pleasure to be around.

AMG/Parade Digital

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